Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

Would you want twenty four hour security cameras in your neighborhood like Medina has?

In 2009 Medina, the upscale suburb where Bill Gates lives, installed 24 hour video cameras to monitor the comings and goings of cars driving into the neighborhood. There are a few cameras at the entry to the area, and some “mystery” cams that are secretly perched elsewhere.

The motive for this bold move was to cut back on crime. Medina, a city of 3,100 with an average household income of $222,000 had eleven burglaries recently in 2008.
With its quick access to the 520 bridge and its well heeled denizens, it is good pickings for burglars.

From a recent Seattle Times article “Under the “automatic license plate recognition” project, once a car enters Medina, a camera captures its license-plate number. Within seconds, the number is run through a database.”

It’s working and there have not been any burglaries reported since the installations, but do you feel this is an invasion of privacy?
What if you got pulled over in a new car you purchased not realizing it had been involved in a crime? What if you had a prior record and were visiting your friend and got pulled over? Or, does just the idea of being scanned when you enter Medina (or wherever) seem creepy? Is it overkill?

I’ve asked a few people who live in Bellevue what they think of the cameras. It’s a heated topic for sure. One person said she loved the idea, and thought all neighborhoods should have them.
With the “smash and grab” burglary on the rise, maybe home alarm systems are not enough and other neighborhoods will copy Medina. Only a matter of time perhaps?
Are we saying good bye to privacy….hello Big Brother?

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.